Love as endless as the Heavens: Lucy x Loki
by silvergirlfirestar07
Summary: (Lucy/Loki pairing) Lucy and Loki's budding romance is put to the test! Is their love TRULY "as endless as the Heavens"?
1. Chapter 1

This is a Fairy story I've written. Some spoilers ahead for those who haven't completed watching the series so... turn back now before it's too late! I warned ya!

* * *

~ The stars sparkled brightly over the city of Magnolia where we find our two love birds - Lucy and Loki - enjoying the evening atmosphere. . . ~

"My love for you is as endless as the Heavens itself.", Loki said to her after a passion filled kiss; his arms wrapped protectively, yet lovingly around Lucy's waist. Lucy was in such a blissful state, she couldn't even respond. It had been such a whirlwind adventure - coming to Fairy Tail, meeting Loki only to find out that he's the celestial spirit Leo, and then he starts confessing his feelings for her! No man has ever done that before; even with her father trying to push suitors upon her, they never once felt love for her.

_Is this really what true love is like?_, she thought to herself while staring into the gorgeous hazel eyes of Leo the Lion. She turned away, breaking the gaze with a blush on her cheeks. He held her close, "I know it's hard for you, hearing these things. But please trust that I mean every single word I speak to you, Lucy. You have my heart."

She looked back to him; "Loki..." Lucy began, but was rudely interrupted by a nefarious flying cat.

"OOH! What's going on here?", Happy teased. With a glare, Lucy responded to the cat-dragon "Get out of here, cat! Why aren't you hanging out with Natsu and Gray?"

Happy landed on Loki's shoulder, to which he received a loving scratch behind the ears. Happy purred audibly. "I ASKED A QUESTION, CAT!", Lucy screeched; thus making our poor feathered feline dig his claws into Loki. Happy leapt onto the ground, just in front of their feet. "Hmph, you don't have to be so mean, Lucy. I'm here to tell you that Erza's back and already has another S-class mission lined up."

Lucy turned to ponder the request for a moment, "Rent is about to be due, and a little extra cash never hurts...Hmmm."

"What do you think, Loki? You in?", she said as she turned back around; seeing Loki's face frozen in pain from his unfortunate contact with Happy's claws. "Uh..." he managed to mutter, "Sure thing...I'm...totally up for it", he replied with clenched teeth. Lucy frowned, "Let's get those cuts taken care of first, THEN we'll meet up with the team."


	2. Chapter 2

~ The lock clicked and the door squeaked as Lucy pushed it open . . . ~

"It's not much, but it's home. Let's get those cuts taken care of.", she said as she entered her apartment with Loki right behind her.

Loki looked around, "It's nice here."

"Yeah, only when Natsu and Gray aren't barging in..."  
_Which is ALL THE TIME_, she thought to herself.

"Well.." Loki said as he pushed his glasses back up as they were starting to fall down his face. "Maybe, one of these days...if you're cool with it...we can look into getting a place together."

Lucy stood at the entrance of the bathroom, frozen.  
_Did he just...what? Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god..._

Loki chuckled softly as he walked up behind her and placed his hands upon her hips. "Don't worry, I said one of these days, not tomorrow. Relax, Lucy."

Feeling slightly stupid, Lucy chuckled and let out a sigh of relief. "It's not that I wouldn't want you around; it's just...I've never had a real roommate before. Natsu and Gray, they just pop in at the most inconvenient time; but they eventually leave. I..."

Before she could finish, Loki turned her around and kissed her. "Lucy, don't worry. We'll go at your pace. I was just saying that it would be nice someday. I won't push you into anything. I love you."

Lucy just stood there, shocked and in awe.  
_How can it be that the perfect man - the man that women all dream about having - is right here in front of me and he's not even a real man, he's a celestial spirit. And the one that he wants... is me._

Loki smiled at her. "You know, I could probably hop into the spirit world and then come back fully healed. It wouldn't take that long."

"You really should save those trips to the spirit world for when you're extremely hurt." Lucy said quickly, almost as if she would be sad to have him leave her side. "Besides, this will only take a minute.", she said as she rummaged through her medicine cabinet for some antiseptic.

Loki pushed his glasses up again and smiled that dreamy smile of his, "You're right."

Lucy faced him once more, holding a washcloth that had antiseptic on it. With her free hand, she touched Loki's shoulder. "Stupid cat ripped your suit. Does it hurt when I touch it?"

"No...your touch could never hurt me." Loki replied suavely.

An undeniable blush flooded Lucy's cheeks.

Loki chuckled as he began to remove his shirt. Lucy panicked, "What are you doing?"  
"I'm taking my shirt off so you can get to the claw marks."

"Oh." Lucy swallowed hard as she watched Loki undress. She stared at his shirtless torso, taking in every muscle the celestial spirit had - his muscular arms, his chest that wasn't as defined as Natsu's or Gray's but still very VERY attractive in it's own right. Not wanting to seem like a creep, Lucy snapped out of her trance and went back to looking at the wound. "It's not very deep, but it could still get infected. I'm going to put the antiseptic on it and it might sting a little..."

"Okay", Loki said with a nod. Lucy placed the washcloth onto Loki's pale skin very gently. Loki winced for only a second. "I know, I'm sorry." Lucy said apologetically as she quickly finished cleaning the wound. "There. All better."

Loki nodded and began to get dressed again, "Thank you."  
"You're very welcome." Lucy said smiling.

"Ready to head to the guild?" Loki asked. Lucy nodded, "Mmm-hmm." With a smile, Loki wrapped his arm around Lucy's waist and together they walked out of Lucy's apartment, into the starlit streets of Magnolia, to their beloved Fairy Tail guild.


	3. Chapter 3

_~As Lucy and Loki neared the entrance of the guild, the bickering of Natsu and Gray echoed throughout. . . ~_

"SAY THAT TO MY FACE, YOU HALF-NAKED COWARD!"

"GRR, WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE A HOT HEAD?!"

Finally fed up, Erza put an end to their shenanigans by grabbing both Gray and Natsu and proceeded to scream into their ears, "IF YOU DON'T STOP IT RIGHT NOW, I WILL MAKE YOU REGRET THE DAY YOU WERE BORN! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

A resounding unison of "Yes Erza! Sorry Erza!" came from the two young men.

"Good!" Erza said as she tossed them both aside (resulting in the guys landing flat on their butts), "I worked hard to get us this new mission and I will NOT have you two fighting each other. You are not children nor am I a baby sitter and such behavior will NOT be tolerated!"

"Geez. we get it already." Gray muttered softly.

"IF YOU GET IT THEN WHY MUST I CONSTANTLY REMIND YOU?!" Erza screeched to Gray; Natsu chuckled discretely, enjoying the fact that Gray was getting in trouble.

Lucy sighed, "Some things never change..."

Loki chuckled then turned his attention to Erza and the gang "Hey guys!"

Out of nowhere, Happy appeared, "Hi Loki! I'm sorry I clawed you...even though I wouldn't have done it if Lucy hadn't been a big meanie and scared me..."

Lucy growled, "I wouldn't have had to yell at you if you would've just answered my question."

Loki patted Happy on the head and smiled, "It's alright. I know it was an accident and I'm not mad at all."

Erza greeted the couple next, "Hello, Loki. Lucy. It's nice to see you both."

Then out popped Natsu, as he placed his arms over their shoulders, "Hey buddies! How's it goin?! Haven't seen you guys around lately. What gives?"

"They probably wanted some time away from you." Gray spoke softly.

"I HEARD THAT!" Natsu yelled.

"BOYS!" Erza said with a glare...which was enough to make the guys slink down and behave themselves. Loki, unfazed, answered Natsu's question "I took Lucy out for the evening."

"You mean like a date or something?", the naive Natsu asked.

Lucy started to blush and, of course, Happy took that as his cue to embarrass the poor girl further.

"OOOH, it WAS a date! Did you guys make out?"

"I WILL SLAP THE WINGS OFF OF YOU, CAT!", Lucy screamed as she lunged for the cat with Loki trying to hold her back.

"So that's a yes." Happy smiled as he chewed on a fish.

Erza chuckled, "As long as you both had a good time, that's all that matters."

Lucy, desperate to change the subject, tried to turn the attention to the fore-mentioned mission. "So what's the mission this time, Erza?"

Erza pulled out a piece of paper from her satchel. "It says that we are to go to a small village on the border of Magnolia called North Haven and help them prepare for their Festival of Love. Easy money, really."

Natsu appeared out of nowhere, super excited to go on the mission, "So what are we waiting for?! LET'S GO ALREADY! COME ON, TIME'S A-WASTIN'!" Smoke appeared from beneath his rapidly moving feet as Erza held him back by grabbing his collar. "We must pack first, North Haven is at least a day's travel if we were to go on foot. Let's meet back here in about an hour, then we'll head out."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Gray, who had been reclining in a chair with two of the chair's legs on the ground and two in the air, turned his head, "Hey, Juvia, you wanna go with us?"

Startled, the girl came out from her hiding place. _Oh, my beloved Gray noticed me! How wonderful! And he wishes for me to accompany him to the Festival of Love! Oh, be still my heart!_

The love-struck girl glomped Gray and hugged him tightly, "Yes, Yes! I will go with you! Oh, I'm so happy!"

_~ The gang went their separate ways, and our attention is put back upon Lucy and Loki. ~_

"You know, I don't have much to pack, Lucy. So if you'd like some help..." Loki offered.

"Sure! Thank you. I really appreciate that." Lucy smiled.

Loki took her hand and softly kissed it, "Of course, my lady."


	4. Chapter 4

_~ The pair made their way once again to Lucy's apartment. The door opened and they walked in.~ _

"So, have you ever been to North Haven before?" Lucy asked Loki as he sat on her bed while she rummaged through her closet, debating on which shoes to take with her.

"Unfortunately, no; but I hear it's beautiful this time of year.", he smiled.

Lucy smiled back, "Well, maybe if we have time after the mission, we can look around and enjoy the festival."

Loki grinned widely, "You bet! That sounds awesome!"

After she packed a few things into a small suitcase, she grabbed her belt and examined her Gold keys; making sure that each one was there. Finally, she grabbed her trusty whip with the heart-shaped cracker.

Loki grabbed Lucy's suitcase. "Oh you don't have to do that, Loki. I'm fully capable of doing it myself. It's not THAT heavy." She replied. Loki simply stood tall, puffing his chest out a little. "Now, that wouldn't be very gentleman-like. Besides, I WANT to do it for you."

Unaccustomed to such true gentleman behavior, Lucy stood back astonished. "I know there must have been a few guys who only _**pretended**_ to be gentlemen in order to gain favor with your father, may he rest peacefully; but I am the real deal, Lucy. This kind of behavior isn't going to stop, so you may as well get used to it." Loki said with a lighthearted grin. Left with no other way to really respond to such a bold statement, Lucy just stood there totally taken aback.

Impishly, Loki seized the opportunity and quickly kissed Lucy's cheek. Lucy grinned, amused with Loki's playfulness. "Come on, we better head back to the guild." Loki nodded and carried the suitcase in one hand, and turned off the lights as he exited the apartment; making sure to lock the door behind him.

Once outside, Lucy habitually started walking on the edge of the canal; a smile on her face. Loki smiled softly, enjoying the fact that Lucy took such pleasure in something so simple. _She's a really down-to-earth kind of girl, despite her upbringing._ He thought to himself. _She doesn't know how rare and special she really is. _

Upon arriving at the guild, the couple were greeted by Gray and Juvia. "Are the others inside?", Lucy asked. "Well, Happy and Natsu are; we haven't seen Erza yet..."

"I'm here!", Erza called out distantly...with about 15 bags and suitcases.

"Geez, Erza, we're only going to be gone for a little while. You really didn't need to pack so much stuff.", Gray said. "One never knows exactly what one may need during such a journey! Better to be prepared than to go wanting!", Erza proclaimed.

Gray simply rolled his eyes and thought, _Whatever excuse you girls want to use for hauling around a bunch of crap._

Suddenly, Natsu busted through the front doors of the guild. "I'M READY! LET'S HIT THE ROAD!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy chimed in.

Erza smiled, "Alright, to North Haven!"

_And to the Festival of Love where my dearest Gray might profess his undying love for me!_ Juvia thought and beamed with joy.

_~The group headed out on their quest; Erza lead the way, followed by Natsu and Happy; who were followed by Juvia and Gray. Loki and Lucy brought up the rear; holding hands the entire time. ~_


	5. Chapter 5

_~ There is a sound of an female's evil chuckle. A male's brown eyes pierce through the night as the two mysterious beings watch our heroes from a distance.~_

"They have no idea what's in store for them...", the female's tone of voice dripped with malice anticipation. The male's eyes gleamed in the darkness, his red tattoo kissed by the starlight that, oddly enough, seemed to be emitting from the female. "Yes...", the young man stated. "They are in for quite the awakening."

"Remember though, your job is to keep the others disposed while I handle the Celestial One. Once I have convinced him, once I have him by my side; I can prove to my sisters that I, **-I- **should be the ruler of the celestial Hyades!"

"And once that happens, what shall become of the others?", the mysterious man inquired. "You may do as you wish to the others; I have no use for them. But ONLY when the time is right...then, we make our move. Not a moment sooner! Understand?", the villainess replied.

_~ The man nodded silently and watched the unsuspecting group of heroes. The smallest of smirks upon his face.~_


	6. Chapter 6

_~ The dawn breaks as we spot our heroes just outside of North Haven. . . .~_

"Alright", Erza says to the group, "We're nearly to New Haven; about a mile or so away now. When we get to town, let's go ahead and rest for a bit." The very tired group all concur with this plan.

"I'm going to be so happy to see a bed; to feel those comfy sheets..." Lucy says sleepily while leaning on Loki as they walk. Loki smiles and pets the top of her head lovingly. "We'll be there very soon."

A sign reads "Welcome to New Haven" and the group cheers.

"You guys go and find the hotel, I will find the one who posted the job and speak with them. Boys, would you mind taking my bags to the room?" Erza asks, to which the boys all fall backwards, astonished and overwhelmed by the request. "There's sooo many bags!" Natsu whines. "That why it'll be best if you work together as a team to get it done." Erza smiled and walked away. "I'll see you all in a little while!"

"Well...let's get to work then." Gray mutters as he picks up three of Erza's suitcases, carrying them as you would a pile of books. Juvia swoons, _Oh Gray, he's so strong...I wish he'd carry me like that someday._ she follows behind Gray, hearts flying around her head.

Natsu takes two more, while Happy flies around and takes a smaller bag. "Want me to carry your suitcase up, Lucy?" Happy asks "I could probably hang onto it with my tail."

Lucy smiles, "Thanks Happy, but I can carry it. You let us know if that suitcase is too heavy for you, alright?"

"It's okay, I'm stronger than I look." Happy beamed and flew off.

Loki chuckled, "Nice to see you two getting along for once." Lucy just rolled her eyes and picked up her suitcase, "I'm not THAT difficult to get along with."

Once they made it to the hotel and paid for their rooms - the girls all together in one room, while the boys shared a room next door; everyone settled in and began unpacking. Soon, stomachs began to rumble. "Oh man, I could really go for some fish about now." Happy said while sitting on Natsu's bed, rubbing his tummy.

"Hang in there, little buddy. Erza should be back now; so, we'll all go out to eat in a bit." Natsu said, petting the cat behind his ears.

Just then there was a knock on the door and Lucy's voice called out "Hey guys, if you're done unpacking; it's time to go eat."

"SEE WHAT'D I TELL YA! NOW LET'S GO GET SOME FOOOD!" Natsu yelled triumphantly as he almost busted the door down; thankfully Gray was standing nearby and opened the door quickly enough for Natsu to run out like a cheetah on crack, Lucy quickly dodged aside. Gray crossed his arms, "Geez, I like food just as much as the next guy, but Natsu better slow down; he's going to end up breaking something around here then WE'LL be the ones who have to pay for it."

Happy flew over Gray's head before heading out the door, "But that's Natsu for ya!" Lucy just threw her hands up, "I'm going to finish getting ready." Gray rolled his eyes, "We're just getting food! Why do you girls insist upon putting on a ton of makeup just to eat?" Lucy stuck out her tongue in response and blew a raspberry. "Oh yeah, that's a perfect answer. Very lady-like." Gray said as he shut the door.

An hour passed, then Loki knocked on the girls' door and waited for Lucy to come out. She smiled, "You didn't have to wait for me."

"Oh I know, I just wanted to have the pleasure of escorting you." Loki said with a wink as he extended his elbow, for Lucy to hold onto. This made Lucy blush as she took his arm. "You look lovely, by the way." Loki said as the pair walked down the hallway.

"That's SO romantic! I wish Gray would do that for me!" Juvia muttered to herself. Just then, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Startled, she acted out on pure instinct...and ended up punching Gray in the face.

"Ow! Geez, what was that for?!" Gray yelled as he covered his nose.

"Oh Gray, I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you."

Gray uncovered his nose; thankfully, it wasn't broken and there wasn't any blood. "I guess I should've called your name instead. Lesson learned." He said with half a smile.

Juvia continued to apologize profusely while Gray reassured her that everything was fine and that it was simply an accident. Tears started to form in Juvia's eyes.

"I never meant to hurt you. I would never mean to harm you in any way...I'm so sor-" before Juvia could finish, her lips met with Gray's. As they pulled away from the kiss, Juvia stood there frozen. "That should tell you that I forgive you, that I understand it was an accident. We're fine. Everything's fine. Now...would you like to go eat?" Gray asked. Juvia simply nodded her head, still in shock, and Gray took her hand and the two walked down the hallway to meet up with their friends. Just before entering the dining area, Juvia placed her fingers to her lips. _That...that actually happened. Oh my heart...it's going to explode with joy!_ she thought to herself.

As everyone sat down to eat, Erza asked for everyone's attention, "As you know, this is an S-class mission..."

Happy interrupted with a fish in his mouth, "But I thought we were just helping New Haven set up for the festival?"

Erza nodded to the cat, "We will be, however; the town is on alert. They have received news that there are people coming to disrupt the festival. Who they are, how powerful they are, how many people - that's all unknown at this time. So we need to be on guard and ready to fight if needed. Since this festival is three days long; we'll have to take shifts not only helping with the festivities, but also pulling security duty. So...who wants to do what?", she asked. "I will be on security duty the first day of the festival."

Lucy announced that she too, will be on security duty. "Then I'm with you," Loki said.

"Good", Erza said "Three people on security duty; three on festivities."

Happy cried out, "Hey, what about me?!"

"You'll be in charge of aerial security; just fly around the festival and if you see anything that is suspicious or dangerous, let one of us know. Otherwise, you're free to help the others with the festivities." Erza addressed Happy.

"Guys, even though we don't know who's planning on disrupting the festival; please be on guard. These people could be extremely dangerous...or this could be nothing more than town gossip; either way, let's not risk it, okay?" Erza stated.

Everyone nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's finish up here and get some rest. Everyone report to your posts in the morning." Erza said as she stood up, having finished her meal already. "Goodnight all." Everyone said goodnight to Erza and went back to finishing their meals.

One by one, the group dissipated; each person retiring to their rooms. Loki and Lucy shared a quick kiss goodnight outside of the girls' door. Juvia kissed Gray on the cheek and, once again, apologized for the mishap earlier. Soon, it was only Happy and Natsu in the dining area.

"Oh man, I'm so stuffed I can't even fly." Happy stated. Natsu simply nodded, acknowledging his statement. Something seemed off...

"Hey Natsu, are you okay? Do you have a stomach ache?"

"Naw, Happy...there's just..." Natsu paused. "Something I gotta take care of. I gotta leave New Haven for just a little bit. I'll be back by morning."

"But Natsu, it's dangerous to go alone." Happy said sadly.

"I'll be fine, buddy. Like I said, there's just something I gotta do."

"Well, I'll come with you!" Happy rolled over and attempted to flap his wings, which failed due to his new weight.

Natsu scratched the cat behind the ears. "Naw, it's something I need to do by myself. Besides, the air will do me some good. You go on to bed and I'll see ya in the morning."

Defeated, the cat's ears slumped down. "Just be careful, Natsu." He slowly climbed off of the table he was sitting on, his belly noticeably bigger, and waddled his way up the stairs to the room.

Natsu felt bad for telling Happy he couldn't come with him, but this is something personal that he had to do; since he wasn't sure when he'd be around this area again. Slowly, he walked out the door and into the night.


	7. Chapter 7

The town of New Haven was quiet and peaceful tonight. Everyone was safely in their homes, having dinner or simply spending time with loved ones and making plans for what they'll do at the festival - which games they'll play and which rides they'll ride on, which float they think would be the best, who would win this year's Queen of Love pageant, and so on.

Natsu somberly walked past the houses. "She would've loved coming here..." he muttered softly to himself. Once he left the city limits of New Haven, he looked around. "I know we traveled down this road to get to New Haven, but I wonder if I take a short cut through the forest, if that'll get me home faster. I really don't want to spend a whole day walking back home, then back to New Haven. And I REALLY don't want to try to catch a ride with any of the vendors coming for the festival." The very thought of travelling in a wagon or carriage made his stomach turn, a slight green tint washed over his face. Shaking off the nauseating thought of transportation, Natsu forced himself to focus on the mission at hand. "I guess I should've done this before I left Magnolia" he shook his head "That's what I get for being in such a hurry. I hope she understands."

The moon shone through the tree branches as Natsu ran through the forest. Luckily, this part of Fiore doesn't have a lot of crime, and as such, there's very little chance of him running into robbers or hooligans who think they're cool. Natsu stopped and panted, "Running at normal speed is going to take forever...I need to get fired up!" He took a deep breath and focused. Images of a smiling little girl with white hair and piercing blue eyes flashed before his; that was all it took and Natsu sped off through the forest, faster than he had ever gone before.

In record time, Natsu made it to Southgate Park. He looked around, but there wasn't anyone else in the park. He spotted a little hut with a tombstone in front of it. "Good, it doesn't look like anyone has disturbed her." Natsu said to himself as he approached and knelt in front of the headstone.

"Hey, Lisanna. I know I haven't been around much lately. I'm sorry about that. Things are going okay, I'm actually on a mission right now in New Haven; they're having this festival of love and..." he paused " And I just...thought of you and how much you would've liked going to the festival."

He sat quietly for a moment, crickets chirping in the background. "The guild's doing well too.", he continued after some time. "It's getting huge! There are so many new people. Man, you would've loved meeting them all..." he paused again; this time his voice a little shaky and his eyes began to water. "And they all would've loved you." He sniffled and then chuckled, "I remember this place; I remember when we found Happy as an egg and we built this little house together to keep him warm so that he could hatch." He smiled at the memory. "We were a little family, just like you said, Lisanna. And Happy, he's gotten big now. You should see him! Soars around just like a bird."

Natsu sighed, deciding that it's time to get real and to stop bottling things up, " I miss you. Every single day, I miss you. And I think if you were still around, Lisanna, I would've...I could've...loved you. And not in a kid way either, ya know?" He chuckled to himself as a single tear fell upon her headstone, glistening in the moonlight as it fell, "Who am I kidding, Lisanna? I already do...and always will." Natsu stood up and kissed her headstone, his eyes closed as he fought back more tears.

A faint voice spoke to him, "I'll always be with you, My Natsu." Upon his cheek, he felt a warm kiss, but there's no one around. A smirk appeared on his face. "I have to go now. I'll try to be better about visiting." Natsu said rubbing the back of his neck with an embarrassed smile. "Goodnight, Lisanna."

"Goodnight, Natsu.", said the voice. Feeling better, Natsu turned and jogged back to the edge of the park. He looked up and saw that the moon was beginning to set, meaning daybreak would occur in just a few hours. "I'm going to be really tired, but it was worth it to spend time with Lisanna again." His heart swelled with happiness. "I'M FIRED UP!" he yelled and bolted through the forest.

Once back in New Haven, he slowed down to a brisk walk. He looked around, but the city was still quiet. Natsu found the hotel that the gang was staying in, and very quietly sneaked upstairs and into the boys' room. Happy was sleeping at the foot of Natsu's bed, snoring softly; the sight of which made Natsu smile as he scratched the cat behind his ears, resulting in a happy purr. Nastu was careful not to wake Happy as he climbed into bed, slowly drifting off to sleep; glimpses of Lisanna's sweet, smiling face lulling him into the dream world.


	8. Chapter 8

Morning came all too soon for our dear Natsu.

"Hey Natsu! Wake up! We're going to be late for breakfast!" Happy yelled as he jumped on the bed. Natsu groaned and tried to roll over, but Gray ripped the covers off of the bed. "Seriously, man? You're going to turn down food? YOU? Come on, get the hell up. It's the first day of the festival. Erza won't stand for this, so unless you want to have her kick your ass; you'd better move it."

Natsu growled softly, nuzzling himself deeper into the bed, and mumbled "I'll move you, pal...right off a cliff." Gray slapped Natsu upside his head. "OW, WHY'D YOU DO THAT, YOU ASS?!" Natsu yelled as he rubbed his injured head.

"Oh, I'm sorry; it's just that this lazy little shit told me that he'll, quote, 'move me off a cliff'. And when lazy little shits like yourself talk crap, I like to put an end to it. Now... GET...UP."

"Alright, jerk! You want me up?!" Natsu said as he stood up on the bed. "I'M UP NOW! RAAA!" he screamed as he jumped off the bed, into the air and, tackled Gray onto the ground. Happy flew towards the ceiling for safety. "Hey, you guys better stop that right now or else NO ONE'S gonna get breakfast!" The two boys scuffled on the floor, creating quite the ruckus; so much of one that Erza and the rest of the gang, who were downstairs, came running up to the room. "What on Earth is going on here?!" Erza said through the door. "Open this door, RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME..."

Loki quickly pulled out his keycard to the room and opened the door for Erza; while the others lingered in the doorway. Upon seeing the two feuding fellows, Erza grabbed both of them by the nape of the neck. "LISTEN HERE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU TWO ARE FIGHTING ABOUT THIS TIME, BUT YOU BETTER STOP IT RIGHT THIS SECOND!" Erza yelled as she slammed both of their heads together, resulting in an unison "OW" from the guys. Erza's eyes narrowed, "We have a JOB to do. Now put aside your differences, grab some breakfast and let's be on our way. If that's too difficult a task for either one of you, then feel free to go back home to the guild. We don't have time for foolish nonsense and this behavior is unacceptable."

The boys looked down at the floor, ashamed. "Sorry, Erza." Gray said. "Yeah, sorry." Natsu seconded. " 'Sorry' isn't going to help New Haven with their festival. Straighten up and act right; BOTH OF YOU." And with that, Erza walked towards the doorway; to which the others, who had been observing the spectacle, quickly stepped aside.

She turned to the others, "Sorry you guys had to see that; I turn into such a bear when I don't get my morning coffee. Let's go back into the dinning hall to finish breakfast, then we can get started with our mission." With a smile, Erza walked away from the group.

Lucy whispered to Loki, "Note to self: Always make sure Erza has coffee. ALWAYS."

Juvia wanted nothing more than to rush into the room to check on Gray, but Lucy grabbed her hand and shook her head no. "Sorry, Juvia, but now's not the time. We better head downstairs...we don't want Erza to be angry with US." Defeated, Juvia sighed in acknowledgement and followed Lucy down the stairs. Oh Gray. . . she thought to herself and shook her head.


	9. Chapter 9

Once everyone had gathered at the dinning hall and fixed their plates, Erza began the debriefing; reminding everyone of their positions and duties for the day.

"Alright everyone, here's the plan.", Erza began, "Natsu and Gray..."

The boys groaned quietly upon hearing that they'll be working together

"You will be in charge of helping the vendors finish setting up; make sure their booths are set up correctly and that they have everything they need and help them with their displays. In total there are, 40 vendors - so Natsu will take half and Gray will take the other half."

The boys perked up a little with small smiles on their faces, knowing that they won't have to work with each other as much as they originally thought.

"Juvia, I want you to help with the rides and stage acts; again, make sure that everything is set up correctly and safely; make sure the stage acts have what they need. " The water girl nodded.

"As far as security goes, there are 3 people on the ground and 1 in the air; so 4 in total. As such, I've mapped out some quadrants; each person will be responsible for the safety of their quad. Loki, you'll take Quadrant 1 - tickets, food, and merchandise. Lucy, you'll take Quadrant 2 - games and merchandise. I'll take Quadrant 3 - parades, pageants, and stage acts. And Happy, you'll have a pretty difficult job - not only will you have to keep an eye on Quadrant 4 - the exit, bathrooms, and gift shops; but you will also have to fly around ALL the quadrants and check in with all of us; I would say every 2 hours check on at least ONE quadrant. And remember, if you see ANYTHING dangerous, or suspicious, find someone close to the action - if there's something going down near the exits, find me. If there's something going on in the middle of Quadrant 2, find Lucy. Understand?"

"Aye, sir!" The flying cat chirped with enthusiasm, and then a confused look came across his face.

" But...how will I know how long it's been?"

Lucy dug around in a small purse she had. "Here Happy, take this."

Even more confused, the cat asked "What is it?"

"It's a watch with a timer on it. I'll set the timer for 2 hours and when it buzzes, that's how you'll know it's been 2 hours and to check on one of the quadrants. I'll show Erza and Loki how to set it too, so when you go to check on them; they can reset the timer for 2 hours. I'm going to tie it onto your backpack. Don't lose it, okay?"

"Wow, thanks Lucy! I'll be real careful with it."

With a smile, Erza dismissed the group. Natsu, of course, went running full speed out the door; the sound of "I'M FIRED UP!" echoing throughout the dinning hall. The rest of the group simply shook their heads and exited as well.

"So..." Loki said as he and Lucy walked side by side, pushing up his glasses "Are you going to come and visit me when you can, since our quadrants are so close?"

"If nothing crazy happens, then sure!" Lucy said with a smile.

_~ But as we know...this is the land of Magnolia; and crazy things happen all the time...~_


	10. Chapter 10

The sun was shining brightly and the festival was just underway. It was a most joyful day indeed. Our feathered friend soared through the air, humming a little tune to himself. "_Oh wow, you really can see EVERYTHING from up here..." _Happy thought.

"_There's Natsu - looks like he's trying to barter with one of the vendors for some food. Oh, and there's Gray - helping one of the clothing vendors, of all things!_" Happy giggled to himself, oh the irony. _"Everything seems to be fine over in the gaming area. Look at all the happy people."_ Happy beamed, he liked knowing that everyone was having fun and eating wonderful food. _"I don't think we're going to have ANNYY problems."_ Happy nodded sagely to himself. _"This is gonna be one of our easiest missions yet!" _

Just then, the watch buzzed. _"Time to check in...Huh?" _Happy looked down in Quadrant Four and noticed a strange looking woman and an oddly familiar young man with her. Happy sighed in defeat, a small sweat drop appearing over his head _"Oh geeze, we can't have one easy day, can we?" _

He flew off to find Erza.

"Jellal, you go on ahead and handle the others. I must find the Celestial One.", the woman stated. She was wearing a dark robe that looked as if it contained an entire galaxy within it's fabric. Her hair was a heavenly silver and her eyes were electric blue with no signs of human features - no iris, no pupils. Her skin was that akin to pure starlight - radiantly glowing. She was definitely Other-Worldly; her stance was powerful and intimidating. One could tell that if she did not get her way, there would be trouble of catastrophic proportions.

Jellal nodded and within moments, blended among the crowd; ready to attack anyone who got in his way - especially anyone from the Fairy Tail guild.

The supernatural woman walked - or rather, hovered slightly above the ground. She couldn't stand the idea of her divine being setting foot onto **HUMAN** soil. The patrons of the festival took notice. Some ran away in fear. Some simply stared in wonderment, too frozen to move.

_I __**WILL**__ find you, Leo..._, the woman thought to herself ... _And I don't care if I have to blow this entire planet to pieces in order to do so. __**NOONE**__ will stand in the way of our destiny..._

"Erza! Erza! Some creepy lady in a black robe snuck in through the exit in Quadrant Four. There was a man with her too...he was wearing a long white flock coat. He seems really familiar, but I just don't remember who he is."

"Did they split up? Which way did they go?" Erza asked, drawing her sword.

"The lady stayed a ways back, but the man went towards the crowd. I...I lost sight of him." Happy frowned, disappointed in himself.

"It's okay, we'll find them. They won't cause any trouble, not while we're here." Erza smiled, reassuring Happy. "Quick, alert the others so they can keep an eye out for them."

"Aye Sir!" Happy said as he bolted off.

Loki was handing a little girl a snow cone, as he turned to hand the cone to the girl; he accidentally bumped into our mysterious lady. "Oh geeze, I'm sorry! I didn't see -" Loki stopped mid sentence, a look of shock and horror took over his face.

The woman smiled in the most wicked way. "Hello Leo." She said as she quickly threw a collar around Loki's neck. The restraint glowed red hot, like the sun. Loki tried to rip the collar off from around his neck, but it burned his flesh. He screamed in agony. The woman chanted quickly and suddenly Loki was levitating in air.

From the collar, there was a chain - a leash - and as the woman casted her incantation, it glowed brighter with every word. Loki was powerless and under her total control. The more the woman chanted, the more the real world faded away as they ascended the Astral plane.

Lucy could only scream in horror as she made it to the scene just a little too late. "**LOKI!**"

In the Astral plane, the woman spoke telepathically to Loki:

_Leo. I am Alcyone, I am here to take you back home to the Spirit World where you belong. Come, I will show you our destiny._

Back in New Haven; Natsu, Grey, Happy, and Juvia all ran to the sound of Lucy screaming. They found her kneeling on the ground with tears streaming down her face as she tried (and failed) to open the Gate of The Lion.

Juvia ran to Lucy's side, trying to console her friend with a hug. "What happened?"

"I - I don't know. One minute everything was fine, the next...Loki was in the air...then he disappeared. I need to get him back. Something terrible might happen to him." Lucy said between sobs.

"Don't worry, we'll find him." Said Gray.

"Someone kidnapped our friend?!" Natsu growled as flames began to emit from his body. "I WON'T STAND FOR IT!" He roared in anger.

"Wait a minute..." Lucy sniffled. "Where's Erza?"


End file.
